Bureau of Criminal Apprehension
Statewide, Minnesota
How we verified this
As of August 2026 RadioReference lists three BCA tactical talkgroups on ARMER (TAC 3, TAC 4 and TAC 7) as encrypted, while BCA All Call, Main and four other tactical talkgroups are listed unencrypted — the claim that all BCA talkgroups are encrypted is not supported.
Encryption Details
What This Means
Some of this agency's traffic is encrypted and some is not. What you can hear depends on the channel and on what the department is doing at the time.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Bureau of Criminal Apprehension radio encrypted?
Yes. Bureau of Criminal Apprehension uses P25 AES-256 encryption. Some of this agency's traffic is encrypted and some is not. What you can hear depends on the channel and on what the department is doing at the time.
Can I listen to Bureau of Criminal Apprehension on a police scanner?
Partially. Bureau of Criminal Apprehension encrypts some of its talkgroups while leaving others open, so some channels may still be accessible. Check RadioReference for specific talkgroup status.
Why did Bureau of Criminal Apprehension encrypt their radio?
The standard justification nationwide is officer safety and operational security, regardless of whether a documented local incident ever required it. The tradeoff that follows is consistent too: public oversight drops, and reporters lose the ability to track federal agency response as it happens.
Can Statewide County reverse the encryption decision?
Yes — nothing about the underlying radio technology forces this. It's a decision Statewide County officials made and can revisit, and other communities have pushed departments back toward open channels through sustained council pressure and coalition-building.
What can I do about Bureau of Criminal Apprehension encryption?
File a FOIA request for Bureau of Criminal Apprehension's radio recordings and encryption-decision paperwork, then show up to speak at a council or commission meeting. Find other residents or journalists in Statewide County who want the same access — state legislation requiring public radio access is the longer-term fix, but organized local pressure is what usually moves the needle first.